1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an electrostatic charge image developing toner, an electrostatic charge image developer and a toner cartridge, which are used for developing an electrostatic charge image in electrophotography and electrostatic recording methods.
2. Related Art
Methods for visualizing image information via an electrostatic charge image, such as electrophotography, are currently utilized in various fields. The electrophotography is a method of forming the image information as an electrostatic charge image on the surface of an image holding member (photoreceptor) through charging and exposure steps and subsequently visualizing the image information via a developing step of developing the image as a toner image on the surface of the image holding member using a developer containing a toner; a transfer step of transferring the toner image onto a recording medium such as paper; and a fixing step of fixing the toner image onto the surface of a recording medium. On this occasion, since toner particles, additives, and discharge products remain on the surface of the image holding member after the transfer step is finished, it is usual to comprise a cleaning step of removing them prior to next image formation.
As a cleaning unit that removes the transfer remaining toner and the like, there may be mentioned a method of removing them individually with a far brush, a magnetic brush, or the like, a method of using a member (a cleaning blade) obtained by forming an elastic material into a blade-shaped one, and the like. Owing to convenience and inexpensiveness, there is generally employed the latter mechanism in which an edge part of the blade is brought into contact with the surface of the image holding member like a wiper of an automobile and the remaining toner and the like are collected and scraped off with the rotational moving of the image holding member.